Glass-leer.



Patented Dec. 23, |902. D. J. GHRIST &. J. P. GRUSCHEN.

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(Application filed June 19, 1802.)

(No Model.)

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wh f No. 7l6,405. Patented Dac. 23, |902.

D. J. GHRIST & J. P. GROSCHEN.

G L A S S L E E R.

(Application tiled June 19, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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No. 7I6,405. Patented Dec. 23, |902.

D. J. GHRIST &. J. P. GRUSCHEN.

GLASS LEER.

(Application Bled fune 19, 1902.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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EIlrtiTn STaTns PATnNT FFCE.

DAVID J. GIIRIST AND JOSEPH P. GROSCHEN, OF HITES, PENNSYLVANIAGLASS-LEER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 716,405, dated December23, 1902.

Application filed June 19, 1902. Serial No. 112,390. (No model.)

To all whom it rmi/,y concern:

Be it known that we, DAVID J. GHRIST and JOSEPH P. GRoscHEN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Hites, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Glass-Leer, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in leers or ovens forannealing plateglass, and has for its principal object to provide animproved form of leer in which the heat may be regulated in accordancewith the size and thickness of the sheet to be annealed.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the heating of theoven without actually introducing any combustible material into theovens proper,and,further,to providea series of communicating ovens eachprovided with a separate heating apparatus, so that the heat may begraduated from the first to the last oven of the series and the platepermitted to gradually cool as it is traveled through the various ovens.

A still further object of invention is to provide, in connection withthe preliminary ovens, an elongated oven provided with revoluble rollersfor the support of the glass and serving to gradually move the glass tothe discharge end of the oven, the latter being so constructed and itsheating-fines so arranged as to permit of the gradual cooling of theglass, the annealing process being finished by the time the sheetreaches the discharge end of the oven.

Vith these and other objects in View, the invention consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed outinthe appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the receiving endof the leer andillustrating a series of ovens each provided with doorsto permit the handling of the glass. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1,illustrating a portion of the elongated oven and its heating-fines at apoint about midway of the length of the oven. Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsectional elevation on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1, illustrating one of thepreliminary ovens and the receiving and discharge ends and the centralportion ofthe elongated oven. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevationthrough a number of the ovens and their heating devices. Fig. 5 is atransverse sectional elevation of the elongated oven, the section beingtaken on a plane indicated by the line 5 5 in Fig. 1. Fig. G is asimilar view, the section being taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. 6o

Similar numerals of reference are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the manufacture of plate-glass it is necessary to exerciseconsiderable care in permitting the gradual cooling of the sheet andpreventing the checking or chilling of the glass.

In carrying out our invention we employa plurality of connected ovens,into the irst of 7o which the glass is introduced as soon as the rollingoperation is completed. These ovens are each provided with anindependent heating apparatus,so that the temperature of each oven maybe regulated, the temperature being decreased very gradually from thefirst to the last oven, and the iinal oven from which the glass isdischarged being of considerable length and so arranged that itstemperature gradually lessens from the receiving 8o to the dischargeend. 1 After passing through all of the ovens the glass is sufficientlycool to be removed, care being taken to travel the glass very slowlythrough the final oven to permit the thorough crystallization of theplastic mass.

Referring to the drawings, 10, 1l, 12, 13, 14, and 15 represent a seriesof ovens each of the same size and connected in a continuous series. Atone side or end of each of the 9o ovens is a doorway to permit theinsertion of a sheet of glass to be treated or to permit theintroduction of suitable stowing tools by which the glass may be shiftedfrom one oven to the other. Each of the ovens is of suhsantially thesame construction, being provided with a flooring 18, of tile, andhaving an arched roof 19. The ovens are made of as small height as willpermit the manipulation of the stoWing-tools in transferring the sheetroo from oven to oven, and below each oven is an independent chamber 20,filled with checkerwork formed of tire-brick or other suitable materialcapable of assuming incandescence,

and below this chamber is a second chamber 21, into which the fuel isconducted. The fuel is preferably in the form of producer gas or naturalgas and is mixed with a sufficient quantity of air or steam, or both, toheat the ovens to the required heat. The fuel is ignited in the lowerchamber 21 and thence passes, by means of suitable fines, to and throughthe chamber 20, heating the firebrick until the latter assumes anincandescent condition. From each of the chambers 21 extends one or moreescape-fines 22, leading to an underground flue 23 in communication witha stack 24, and in each escapeflue is a separate damper 25, which, inconnection with the usual controlling-valve of the gassupply,serve toregulate the temperature. The heat is conducted through the tiling tothe annealing-oven, the latter being maintained at any desiredtemperature and the heat being uniform, owing to the presence of theheated mass of rebrick,the latter serving to maintain the temperature ofthe oven should there be any uctuation in the quality or quantity offuel employed. In using this portion of the leer the glass is moveddirectly from the casting-table into the highly-heated' oven 10, thetemperature of which is but little less than that of the glass. When theglass has cooled to the temperature of the rst oven, it is`moved intothe second oven 11, the heat in the latter being slightly less than thatof the first oven, and from thence the sheet of glass is moved throughthe several ovens, being slightly cooled in each. The final oven 15 ofthe series is in communication with a discharging-oven 30 of a lengthproportioned to the size and thickness of the sheet of glass beingannealed. The bottom of the oven 3Q, as indicated at 31, is somewhatbelow the level of the remaining oven-Hoors, and under said ovens arearranged a series of longitudinally-disposed flues or passages 32, whichare preferably iilled with checker-work. These fines extend from apreliminary chamber 33, to which the gaseous fuel is supplied, theheight of the flues gradually lessening toward the discharge end, atwhich point the lines are united and extend as a single Hue 32l to astack 35. In the flue 32 is a regulatingdamper 36, by means of which theescape of the products of combustion may be regulated, so that thetemperature of the oven may be maintained at any desired point. The iues32 are so arranged as to afford a gradual contracted passage for theproducts of combustion, as the latter cool and condense, toward thedischarge end of the flues. On each side of the long oven are arranged aseries of piers 40, connected by angle-irons 41 and each provided with abearing-block 42 for the reception of a longitudinally-disposed shaft43, extending the full length of and parallel with the oven. To theanglebars, at each side of the machine, are secured bearing-blocks 44,the blocks being disposed at intervals of one foot and serving toreceive and support the reduced end portions of a series ofglass-supporting rollers 45.- The rollers 45 are arranged in acoutinuous row from end to end of the oven, their upper surfaces beingin a common horizontal plane with the floors of the preliminary ovens,so that the glass may be moved to position on the first of the rollersfrom the final oven 15. In practice the rollers are arranged atintervals of twelve inches from center to center, each roller beingpreferably about four inches in diameter and provided near each end withan enlarged annular flange or collar 46 to prevent contact of the sheetof glass with the inner walls of the oven. The reduced end portions ofall of the rollers at one side of the machine are provided withbevel-gears 47, intermeshing with similar bevel-gears 48 on thedrivingshaft 43, and the latter is driven at a rate of speedproportionate tothe size and thickness of the sheet being treated. Thesheet of glass is received on the rollers from the final oven 15 of thepreliminary series and is gradually carried by the roller to theopposite or discharge end of the oven, sufficient time elapsing duringthe passage of the sheet to insure thorough crystallization of theviscous glass.

To insure gradual cooling of the oven, the roof of the latter isarranged on an inclined plane, itsinner surface being much nearer therollers at the entrance end of the oven than at the discharge end. Bythis arrangement the heated air and gases between the IOO top of thesheet and the top of the oven are r gradually allowed to expand as theyow toward the discharge end of the oven, and this, in connection withthe natural contraction of the volume of gases and air, due to cooling,will permit the heat to lessen gradually as the glass approaches thedischarge end of the oven. This could also be arranged by slightlyinclining the line of rollers or the oor of the oven.

In practice the preliminary ovens are generally made about twelve byseventeen feet in size, in order to permit the entrance of the largestsheets ordinarily manufactured. For extremely large sheets thecoolingoven is made about three hundred feet in length, and theheat-conducting flues 32 are extended thereunder for a distance fromone-third to one-half the length of the oven. The oven may be made of aless or of a greater length and the same result obtained by properlyregulatiug the speed of travel of the roller.

In the use of the device the annealing-oven is intended to be of thecontinuous type, being at all times ready to receive a sheet of glassand its capacity being regulated by the length of the cooling-oven andthe speed of travel of the rollers. In this manner the waste of fuelincident to the preliminary heating of an ordinary annealing-oven isavoided,

IIO

and by arranging the fuel-supply in the manner described it is acomparatively easy matter to maintain the several ovens at any desiredtemperature with the expenditure of a comparatively small quantity ofgas.

While the construction herein described, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, is the preferred form of the device, it isobvious that various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minordetails of the structure may be made without departing from the spiritor sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim isy l. Inaglass-1eer,aseries of communicating ovens arranged in a series, and aseparate heating-chamber under each oven, the heating-chambers beingeach provided with separate heating means and a separate escapeiiue tothereby permit of maintaining different temperatures in different ovens.

2. In a glass-leer, aseries of communicating ovens arranged in a seriesand disposed in staggered order,and a separate heating-chamber arrangedunder each oven, the heatingchambers being each provided with separateheating means and a separate escape-flue to thereby permit ofmaintaining diderent temperatures in different ovens.

3. In a glass-leer, a series of communicating ovens, a separateheating-chamber arranged under each oven and filled with checker-work ofa material capable of assuming incandescence and storing heat, each ofsaid chambers being provided with separate heating means and a separateescape-Hue to thereby permit of maintaining dierent temperatures indii'erent ovens.

1. The combination in a leer, of an oven, a checker-work chamberarranged below the oven and having a lling of spaced fire-brick, asecondary chamber below the rst, and means for supplying a burning fluidto said chambers.

5. The combination in a leer, of a preliminary oven, an elongatedcooling-oven in communication therewith, and heating-fines eX- 4tendingunder the cooling-oven for a portion of the oven to eect a graduallowering of the temperature from the receiving to the discharge end.

7. A glass-leer comprising au oven having means for gradually moving theglass from the receiving to the discharge end, and heating-dues arrangedunder said oven fora portion of its length, said fines being ofgradually contracted area toward the discharge end.

8. A glass-leer comprising an oven having a receiving and discharge endand provided with means for moving a sheet of glass therethrough, saidoven being so constructed that its cross-sectional area graduallyincreases from the receiving to the discharge end.

9. A glass-leer comprising an elongated oven and means for moving asheet of glass from the receiving to the discharge end, the roof of saidoven being inclined upwardly and away from the plane of movement of asheet of glass through the oven.

1 0. The combination in a glass-leer, of an elongated oven, piersarranged at equidistant intervals along the outer side walls of theovens, angle -irons connecting the various piers, brackets carried bythe piers, a drivingshaft carried by said brackets, a plurality offlanged rollers extending transversely across the oven, bearing-boxesfor the roller-spindles, said boxes being carried by the angleirons, anda bevel-gear connection between each of the roller-spindles and thedrivingshaft.

11. The combination in a leer, of a plurality of communicating ovensarranged in staggered relation and each provided with a door, anindependent heating means for each of the ovens, a cooling-oven incommunication with the last of the series, heating-dues extending underthe cooling-oven for a portion only of the length of said oven, aplurality of Iianged glass-supporting rollers carried by the oven, meansfor simultaneously revolving the rollers, the roof of the cooling-ovengradually inclining upwardly and away from the plane of the rollers asthe discharge end of the oven is neared, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID J. GHRIST. JOSEPH P. GROSCHEN. Witnesses:

GEORGE CLARKE, CHAs. A. 'FLEIscHER- IOO

